need some project encouragement! just an update!

[imkfly]

hi all...hope you all had great holidays. mines went well! LOL. i got an alarm and some car audio equipment... all installed myself and they sound phenomenal! but im beginning to lost my interest in the 87 regal all together! its like one thing after another things are starting to fail on me, and im unsure as to the costs to have the car survive the winter with me! heres a list of problems and or things needing replacement/fixing!
1 braking system overhaul - i think i need rotors along with pad, shoes, calipers. when i brake i can feel the car jerk you back and forth before coming to a complete stop!
2 my engine stalls out everytime i have brake suddenly.
3 engine just started leaking brownish fluid (guessing oil) rite in the middle of that front ngine support bar looking thing!
4 need to new upper radiator hose (was cut by fan - and temp. taped)
5 white smoke clouds when cold starting in the morning
6 cabin heater goes on th fritz throughout driving...from warm to cold...never hot
7 ever since my alarm isntall...the reverse (white) lights are on constantly
8 engine diesels on sometimes, after turning car off
9 right -rear spring (i think) needs replacement... car sits really low there adn rubs against muffler sumtiimes!
...uh for now i think thats all i can think of! again, please help!
and ideas, suggestions, help, or estimated costs! should i just junk her?
thnx in advanced!

 

[WarWagon]

Like to help, However need more information. What engine do you have in your car? I'll take a wild guess and say it's a 3.8 v6 since you are here. In that case: #1 you already said it! repalce both front rotors andget new pads, just check the rear. #3 Gaskets for what ever is leaking, just isolate the leak and replace that seal.... Or all of them to deter all leaks away. #4 Yep buy a new upper hose for what ever engine is in your car.#6 is mostlikely related to #4 Advise for #7 I'd remove it. #8 is ignition timing or gasolne type or both.

#2&9 are coming soon.

 

[mat231v6]

i wouldn't junk the car if you saw my car before it was finished you would have told me to junk my car, but i saved it all the work will pay off. you can get drill roters and pads on ebay for $100. we can all help you; we just need more info.

 

[usetaboost]

sounds like a normal beat up regal to me Yeah dude, need more info.

 

[imkfly]

Like to help, However need more information. What engine do you have in your car? I'll take a wild guess and say it's a 3.8 v6 since you are here. In that case: #1 you already said it! repalce both front rotors andget new pads, just check the rear. #3 Gaskets for what ever is leaking, just isolate the leak and replace that seal.... Or all of them to deter all leaks away. #4 Yep buy a new upper hose for what ever engine is in your car.#6 is mostlikely related to #4 Advise for #7 I'd remove it. #8 is ignition timing or gasolne type or both.

#2&9 are coming soon.

yep.... right on the money! 3.8l v2 2bbl carb! circa 150k on it! tiny rust here, tiny rust there! uh...no clue what type of tranny! heard it was a 200-sumthing! LOL!

#7 but yea...i uninstalled the alarm, and radio! back up lights are still on...in fact, they come on as soon the car hits the start position! have no clue now! been looking thru my chilton and seen some info on wiring diagram, btu have no clue how to understand it! LOL
#6 yep figured that... somebody mentioned that to me today! so im scrambling to buy a new hose! could i just use water for the time being tho? ive seen a few folks do it with older cars for temp. solution until antifreeze?
#3 its hard to see... how can you isolate a leak location?! at the position of the drips it seems to be coming from something on the ACC belt line! but i dont think anything on that uses motor oil, but i dunno!?!?

 

[imkfly]

referring to the back up lights... i just took out the bulbs for now! i will figure out the issue some other time! time and money is of the essence!

 

[WarWagon]

Thanks for the Info.
About #3 You said it's closer to the belts and front of the engine than the rear. the only things up there that can leak are: the front of the oil pan, the timing cover, oil pump and cover and filter and the fuel pump and distributor and the last thing is the front of the intake manifold.
You can clean off some of the surfaces where oil is now and where some has accumulated on the engine then place a piece of cardboard scrap under the engne to check location and start the engine up and watch for leaks around all the gaskets and seals on the front end of the engine.
#7 The switch for the reverse lights is on the steering column so if you had to do anything (I'm sure you did) near there with the alarm install, you probably got the switch stuck, unhooked from the shift linkage or shorted or half unplugged or something, Check out the switch.
#2 Have a tach? I need to know what the rpms are at idle and in gear. Might just be set to low on the idle even for this time of year, depends on the tach reading.
#9 Probably wouldn't hurt to just replace these older springs they have been holding up he back of the car for some 22-3 years.

 

[imkfly]

Thanks for the Info.
About #3 You said it's closer to the belts and front of the engine than the rear. the only things up there that can leak are: the front of the oil pan, the timing cover, oil pump and cover and filter and the fuel pump and distributor and the last thing is the front of the intake manifold.
You can clean off some of the surfaces where oil is now and where some has accumulated on the engine then place a piece of cardboard scrap under the engne to check location and start the engine up and watch for leaks around all the gaskets and seals on the front end of the engine.
#7 The switch for the reverse lights is on the steering column so if you had to do anything (I'm sure you did) near there with the alarm install, you probably got the switch stuck, unhooked from the shift linkage or shorted or half unplugged or something, Check out the switch.
#2 Have a tach? I need to know what the rpms are at idle and in gear. Might just be set to low on the idle even for this time of year, depends on the tach reading.
#9 Probably wouldn't hurt to just replace these older springs they have been holding up he back of the car for some 22-3 years.

thanx for response!
#2 no tach, so i would have no clue! lol...start the car up cold and it idles high, and when i rev it, the engine calms down!
#9 figured that...i was just on summitracing checking out prices..! that should be a relatively easy install correct? i mean....some nuts, some bolts, some muscle?! no torches, or jackhammers!! LOL
#7 sure thing... ill look into the switchy thing tomorrow. was getting scared reading online about a switch under the trans and how expensive it was. LOL. i probably did just yank something loose!
#3 WOW...didnt know it could be so many different things..i look into that also tomorrow when day breaks!

while i have your attention, i have just a tiny bit more questions?! LOL hope you dont mind!
so...
#10 for some odd reason or another the (pcv?) breather hose is broke and disconected to the air filter box, and the pcv valve itself seems to be halfway in, jammed by a broken grommet! could that be ties to any problems im describing!? lol
#11 also... there was a aluminum foil type hose coming out from the, (it looks like exhaust area) leading into the bottom of the tip of the air filter box inleet thingy?! i suck at describing by name! i know

thanx again

 

[WarWagon]

#10 Could be involved the the stalling.
#11 It's supposed to be there it's a air warmer it get warm air to the carb from the exhaust manifold.
The trans is a Th200 some call it the "200 metric"

 

[imkfly]

so as of right now...i have replaced and upper radiator hose and filled'er up with a thing or prestone in!
from my surprise you wouldnt believe this whol time (1) spark plug has been disconnected to the cap...LOL. either that or i removed it when i yank out the old hose!
but heat still goes in and out for some reason! heats up well when accelerating but when braked at a light...it gets cold! i dont know! did i add too little antifreeze? it has ben bone dry for a little over a few weeks??!?!?!?

 

[WarWagon]

Did it work normal before?
Do you know if there is a thermostat in the housing? a good cooling system flush might cure it but I'd back flush the heater core and check the function of the inline heater valve right before the heater core. You can remove the heater hoses from the heater core gently and run water thru the core backwards to flush out any crap that may be in there?

 

[turbo39151]

First of all you need to stop. Take a deep breath and relax. These are all minor issues- at least with a TR.

Then you need to tell us where you are. Maybe you're close to some members that might be able to swing by and help.

Next, is this your only car? Can you park it for a bit and save up a few bucks? Or do you need this car as a DD?

 

[charlief1]

Ok, first this is a 22-23 YO car and it will have issues. If it's your DD then you need to keep it running. If you like the car keep it up. You almost have an antique there. 25 years and older are considered antiques.:biggrin:

1) Brakes are fairly cheap for this old a car but you need to inspect them to see what it actually needs. Jerking doesn't sound good at all so please drive carefully if you have to drive it.
2) Stalling out when braking could be a bad diaphram in the booster or you may have the idle set to low. If your puter is working right hook up to a scan tool and see what it can tell you.
3) Stick your finger in the brownish fluid and smell it, rub it between your fingers, and taste it. (not kidding) If it tastes sweet it's coolant and if not does it feel sticky/oily? This will tell you what it is.
4) You fixed that so good for you. Just make sure that you tie the hose down somehow so it doesn't happen again.
5) While smoke is fairly normal if you live in a cold climate. The exhaust has cooled off over night and has condensation in it so it's getting steemed out. Don't worry about it.:smile:
6) Warm to cold in the heater is usually a bad thermostat so you need to change it first and make sure that the water level is right. Fill up your puke tank and let it suck coolant in as the car cools down over night. That's the way it's suposed to work.
7) You've clipped into the wrong wire and you need to recheck what you're suposed to attach the harness for the alarm.
8) If the engine is running after you turn the key off your plugs are getting to hot or the cylinders are getting to hot. You could try using a higher octain fuel to see if stops.
9) As far as rear springs, they don't last forver. New stock springs don't cost that much and are really easy to change if they're the rear ones.

 

[imkfly]

Ok, first this is a 22-23 YO car and it will have issues. If it's your DD then you need to keep it running. If you like the car keep it up. You almost have an antique there. 25 years and older are considered antiques.:biggrin:

1) Brakes are fairly cheap for this old a car but you need to inspect them to see what it actually needs. Jerking doesn't sound good at all so please drive carefully if you have to drive it.
2) Stalling out when braking could be a bad diaphram in the booster or you may have the idle set to low. If your puter is working right hook up to a scan tool and see what it can tell you.
3) Stick your finger in the brownish fluid and smell it, rub it between your fingers, and taste it. (not kidding) If it tastes sweet it's coolant and if not does it feel sticky/oily? This will tell you what it is.
4) You fixed that so good for you. Just make sure that you tie the hose down somehow so it doesn't happen again.
5) While smoke is fairly normal if you live in a cold climate. The exhaust has cooled off over night and has condensation in it so it's getting steemed out. Don't worry about it.:smile:
6) Warm to cold in the heater is usually a bad thermostat so you need to change it first and make sure that the water level is right. Fill up your puke tank and let it suck coolant in as the car cools down over night. That's the way it's suposed to work.
7) You've clipped into the wrong wire and you need to recheck what you're suposed to attach the harness for the alarm.
8) If the engine is running after you turn the key off your plugs are getting to hot or the cylinders are getting to hot. You could try using a higher octain fuel to see if stops.
9) As far as rear springs, they don't last forver. New stock springs don't cost that much and are really easy to change if they're the rear ones.

thanx man...
#1 yea i know alot about brakes...but i figure i need something to nag about !LOL
#2 guess the puter is working rite...i believe my idle is set too damn high at that...but no tach so i wouldnt know! what more about the that booster thing? lol
#3 already did....felt very viscous...akward or unfamiliar smell...but no taste, was too scared! LOL ironically i didnt recall seeing any leaks today when replacing the hose
#4 ...nice! kudos for me!
#5 just read up abotu it abit and it made sense...was gonna ask about its validity on forum...so thanx again! LOL
#6 where would my thermo be?! and when u say water level? are you referring to coolant? and is the puke tank the tank you pour the coolant in?! sorry if questions are silly?
#7 gotta find out which wire?! i have no clue
#8 getting too hot would have ben caused by extremely low or no coolant rite? so just fill up with another bottle or something and check!? and would higher octane the 87 cause a ping or piston knock thing?!
#9 yep... any good manufacturers... i want a tiny bit higher thatn stock look...are lift spacers good... or just get biggeer springs!? LOL
talking about in the long run. just worrying about getting it off the ground now! LOL

thanx too all for help! hope someone lives somewhat close to me!

 

[imkfly]

First of all you need to stop. Take a deep breath and relax. These are all minor issues- at least with a TR.

Then you need to tell us where you are. Maybe you're close to some members that might be able to swing by and help.

Next, is this your only car? Can you park it for a bit and save up a few bucks? Or do you need this car as a DD?

no unfortuneatly this is my one and only! daily commuter-mobile!! LOL
and im located in Philadelphia, PA! but wouldnt mind travelling a short distance, jersey, delaware, new york, etc.. if push came to shove for a helping hand in repair job!

 

[imkfly]

Did it work normal before?
Do you know if there is a thermostat in the housing? a good cooling system flush might cure it but I'd back flush the heater core and check the function of the inline heater valve right before the heater core. You can remove the heater hoses from the heater core gently and run water thru the core backwards to flush out any crap that may be in there?

would no clue.. which is which?! or the procedure on how to do that!?
yes it worked perfectly before. how about a walk through-step by step thingy! LOL

 

[charlief1]

thanx man...
#1 yea i know alot about brakes...but i figure i need something to nag about !LOL
#2 guess the puter is working rite...i believe my idle is set too damn high at that...but no tach so i wouldnt know! what more about the that booster thing? lol

Is there a clicking sound coming from the carb while the engine is running? That means the puter is taking care of the fuel mixture and is working right.

#3 already did....felt very viscous...akward or unfamiliar smell...but no taste, was too scared! LOL ironically i didnt recall seeing any leaks today when replacing the hose

If it feels like oil then it probibly is. You'll need to clean the engine and see where it's coming from.

#4 ...nice! kudos for me!
#5 just read up abotu it abit and it made sense...was gonna ask about its validity on forum...so thanx again! LOL

No problem, your welcome.:biggrin:

#6 where would my thermo be?! and when u say water level? are you referring to coolant? and is the puke tank the tank you pour the coolant in?! sorry if questions are silly?

Your thermostat is in the water neck where the upper hose is attached. Not hard unless one of the bolts is seized up.

#7 gotta find out which wire?! i have no clue

You'll need a wiring digram to figure out what you did and where you should've hooked it up.

#8 getting too hot would have ben caused by extremely low or no coolant rite? so just fill up with another bottle or something and check!? and would higher octane the 87 cause a ping or piston knock thing?!

Detonation is caused when the heads get hot. If you're running low on coolant then yes, that may be causing the issue.

#9 yep... any good manufacturers... i want a tiny bit higher thatn stock look...are lift spacers good... or just get biggeer springs!? LOL
talking about in the long run. just worrying about getting it off the ground now! LOL

Get a set of stock replacement MOOG springs. They make some of the best out there. Don't use spacers, they'll cause some issues to come up.

thanx too all for help! hope someone lives somewhat close to me!

Jimski lives in Philly and is a member on here. Send him a PM and ask for some help. I'm sure if he's got the time he'll be more than willing.

no unfortuneatly this is my one and only! daily commuter-mobile!! LOL
and im located in Philadelphia, PA! but wouldnt mind travelling a short distance, jersey, delaware, new york, etc.. if push came to shove for a helping hand in repair job!

LOL Send me some hoggie rolls, PLEASE!:biggrin:JK

 

[imkfly]

been toying around here and there! gotta find some hardcore engine degreaser to really clean up the bay though. a few sources mentioned oil may be coming up from my pcv and i should do a delete to breather setup. have no clue on how true this is! but they said better gas milage, less oil deposits, in exchange for a chance of fumes being sucked in when HVAC in VENT MODE!...lol. i dont know tho!
but ol' regals been holding up so far in this cold...a little hard starting but after 10 or so minutes we good to go..is that normal? mind you outsid is close to 25-30 degrees overnight.
been looking around for springs for the car all around or at least the back first and then front, since front still have that nice bounce to them.
what does anybody think about the edelbrock performer 4bbl intake conversion...or like previous threads, a 4.1 intake mod to 4bbl? is that a good performance:gas milage swap..? friends keep saying NO...get a 305 or 350..a v6 is not worth it...? they sey no upgrade exhuast becasuse more air out would cause a v6 to downgrade performance...and no intake/carb swap bacuse it a v6 and not worth it...im not looking for a 10 sec track car...just a good sleeper..LOL
what you guys think? i know i talk alot!

 

[imkfly]

LOL Send me some hoggie rolls, PLEASE!:biggrin:JK

they are the best! LOL. how far are you? doubt they be fresh! i talked to jimski a bit in pms too! trying set up a meet!

looking at my situation...are there any repairs that can also be seen performance mods.... intake? carb? headers? exhuast? mind you everything is stock 20+ years so it needs to go!

 

[WarWagon]

Mostly Depends on you. and what you like. If you want to be a follower and listen to your friends make decisions for you, do that However if you dare to be different and like a little challenge and like good MPG's stick with the v6.
I'm not going to do a whole pros vs cons on v8-v6 But I will say some tips:
Your car is already running with and setup for a v6, That is a good base to start with. the moment you want to do a swap, It all has to go.